Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the news conference of the meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
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In the course of a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi discussed the issues on the agenda for the forthcoming G8 summit on La Maddalena, with Africa and the struggle against climate change topping the bill. Berlusconi explained that the G8 countries will be discussing concrete aid for the poorer countries in terms of the construction of infrastructures. Where climate safeguards are concerned, priority must be given to forging a new broad agreement on the climate. The July Summit's priorities also include the financial crisis and the downturn in the real economy. Prime Minister Berlusconi went on to explain how the summit's work is going to pan out. The G8 member countries proper will be meeting on day one; the talks will be extended to a further five countries -- South Africa, Brasil, India, China and Egypt -- on day two; and finally, the African countries will be invited to join the debate on day three, with the secretary of the African Union also attending the talks.
